Susie Drage
Music, Art & Cookery
The Cookery Book
Aubergine Parmigiana Bake



Aubergine Parmigiana Bake
Serves 6
This is a Guest Recipe from Katie and Giancarol Caldesi's excellent "The Diabetes Weight-Loss Cookbook", which is packed full of wonderful recipes, many of which we have tried and loved.
I decided to go with a much simpler way of presenting this dish as it is possible to create individual show-stopping portions which look too beautiful for words, but being a family kitchen cook - this worked better for me! We decided to pair this with Roasted Cauliflower Couscous - a marriage made in heaven!
Ingredients
For the Aubergine Parmigiana:
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2 x 125g / 4½oz balls buffalo mozzarella, torn into pieces
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Extra virgin olive oil, to grease the tray and brush the aubergines
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3 large aubergines, or 4-5 smaller ones, cut into 1 cm thick slices
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1 jar Passata of Tomatoes
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12 broad Basil leaves
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25g / 1oz Parmesan, finely grated
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25g / 1oz smoked Provola cheese or smoked Cheddar, cut into small chunks
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Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
For the Cauliflower Couscous:
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1 extra large or two medium Cauliflower, retaining florets only.
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Olive Oil
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Seasoning
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Method
For the Aubergine Parmigiana:
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Cut or tear the mozzarella into pieces and drain in a sieve for an hour or overnight in the fridge.
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Pre-heat the oven to 220C / Fan 200C / Gas 7.
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Grease a baking tray with a little oil.
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Meanwhile, lay the aubergine slices onto the prepared tray. Brush with oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.
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Roast the aubergines for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned.
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Remove from the oven and leave to cool briefly.
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To assemble the bake, pour one third of the passata into a medium ovenproof dish and lay over one-third of the aubergine slices.
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Top with one-thir of each cheese and one-third of the basil leaves.
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Repeat twice more, finishing with the cheese.
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Bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour, or until the cheese is lightly browned.
For the Cauliflower Couscous:
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Pre-heat the oven to 180C.
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Meantime, put cauliflower florets (just a few at a time) into a food processor and whizz until it resembles couscous or semolina.
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Pour couscous into a separate roasting tray and add a little olive oil and season, stir well and place on top shelf. Keep checking it frequently and stir to stop the top browning.
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The cauliflower should still be creamy looking but a little golden as well - do not burn!!